Burt Baskin facts for kids

Burton “Burt” Baskin (December 17, 1913 – December 24, 1967) was an American businessman. He helped start the famous Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor chain. He co-founded it in 1946 with his business partner and brother-in-law, Irv Robbins.

Early Life and Education

Burt Baskin was born in Streator, Illinois. This was on December 17, 1913. His father, Harold Baskin, owned a clothing store.

Burt finished Streator Township High School in 1931. He then went to the University of Illinois. He graduated from there in 1935.

Starting an Ice Cream Empire

From Men's Store to Ice Cream

Burt Baskin owned a men's clothing store in Chicago. In 1942, he married Shirley Robbins. She was the sister of Irv Robbins.

Burt joined the United States Navy during World War II. He served in the South Pacific. After the war, he came to California in 1946. His brother-in-law, Irv Robbins, was already selling ice cream there. Irv had a shop called Snowbird Ice Cream.

Irv convinced Burt that selling ice cream was more fun. So, Burt opened his own ice cream shop. He called it Burton's Ice Cream.

Growing the Business Together

By 1948, Burt and Irv had eight ice cream shops. Five were Snowbird and three were Burton's. They combined them into one big business. They also created their 31st ice cream flavor: Chocolate Mint.

The partners realized they were opening many new stores. This meant they had less time for each one. So, they came up with a new idea. They decided to sell their stores to their managers. This was a very new idea at the time. It was the start of what we now call "franchising". They were one of the first food companies to do this.

Making Their Own Ice Cream

In 1949, Baskin and Robbins had over 40 stores. They bought their first dairy in Burbank, California. This allowed them to make their own ice cream. They could control the quality and create new flavors.

The Birth of Baskin-Robbins

In 1953, they decided to combine their names. They wanted one name for all their stores. They flipped a coin to decide whose name came first. That's how the name Baskin-Robbins was chosen.

That same year, they introduced the "31 flavors" idea. This meant they had a different flavor for every day of the month!

Huge Success

The company grew very fast. By the end of 1949, they had 43 stores. By 1960, they had over 100 stores. When Burt Baskin passed away in 1967, there were about 500 Baskin-Robbins stores. The company was sold for about $12 million.

Today, Baskin-Robbins is one of the biggest ice cream chains in the world. It has thousands of stores globally.

Family Life

Burt Baskin married Shirley Robbins in 1942. They had two children, Edie and Richard Baskin.

Burt Baskin died on December 24, 1967. He was 54 years old.